For Irish citizens, moving to Canada from Ireland can offer tremendous opportunities for work, great education, and the possibility of increased quality of life. Canada has a booming job market with over 1 million job vacancies nationwide. In addition, there are many fantastic government services, such as socialized healthcare and subsidized education. According to Numbeo, the cost of living in Toronto is almost 24% lower than in Dublin. Furthermore, Canada is highly tolerant and accepting of cultures from all over the world. On top of this, Canada is incredibly safe and boasts some of the world’s largest expanses of undisturbed natural beauty.
With all of these fantastic factors, it’s hard not to consider Canada your future home. But what are the best ways to immigrate to Canada from Ireland? Below are five fantastic Canadian immigration pathways for Irish citizens.
Express Entry
The Canadian Express Entry program is one of the most popular, fastest ways to immigrate to Canada from Ireland. This program is designed to help skilled workers from overseas, and their families immigrate to Canada as quickly as possible. A candidate must apply by creating an Express Entry profile on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada‘s website, where they’re scored on criteria like profession, age, education, and marital status.
All profiles are placed into an Express Entry pool. Then, every two weeks, a draw takes place where the highest-scoring applicants are presented with an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency in Canada. There are three major streams in this system:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), for foreign nationals with a degree or equivalent.
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), for foreign nationals with a trade job and qualifications like a diploma
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC), for foreign nationals who have been living in Canada for a year.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
A fantastic way to almost guarantee being presented with an ITA is to be nominated by the specific Canadian province you want to live in. This is one of the best Canadian immigration pathways for Irish people as you can apply for multiple provinces, and each province has its requirements, demands, and immigration programs.
This allows for numerous different types of people from various backgrounds to have a chance at gaining permanent residency in Canada.
Only 11 out of Canada’s 13 provinces run PNPs, and each province has several immigration streams or pilots that seek out certain applicants based on the province’s needs.
Atlantic Immigration Pilot
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) is a PNP covering four Atlantic provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador. It’s angled explicitly towards high-skilled workers with a job offer from a designated employer in one of the Atlantic provinces.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot has three programs:
- Atlantic International Graduate Program
- This program is for applicants who qualified from a publicly-funded institution in an Atlantic province.
- Applicants would have to have lived in this province for 16 months before applying.
- Atlantic High-Skilled Program
- This program is for applicants with at least one year’s experience in management, professional or skilled positions.
- Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program
- This program is for those with at least one year’s experience in a job that requires at least a high school education or job-specific training.
Canadian Work Permit
Getting a Canadian work permit can be your first step in becoming a permanent resident in Canada. For example, suppose you have a job offer from a Canadian employer and can fulfill the Canadian government’s requirements for a work permit. In that case, you can begin living and working in Canada relatively quickly.
If you stay and work in Canada for over a year, you can qualify for permanent residence via the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
The basic requirements for a Canadian work permit are as follows. You must:
- Prove you will leave Canada once your work permit expires;
- Demonstrate you can support yourself and your dependents while you’re in Canada;
- Have a clear criminal record;
- prove you’re in good health via a medical exam;
- Ensure your employer is eligible to employ you.
Study Permit
If you want to come to Canada as an international student, you need a Canadian student visa. To do this, you must be accepted by a Designated Learning Institution (DLI), an educational institution designated by the Canadian government to admit international students.
Upon completing your studies, you can apply to continue to live in Canada via the Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) program through International Experience Canada (IEC). This gives graduating students an open work permit, allowing them to work for any Canadian employer of their choice.
Time to Make Your Move to Canada from Ireland
Moving from Ireland to Canada doesn’t have to be complicated, as Canada has many immigration and visa programs. However, there are many ways to immigrate to Canada from Ireland, so choosing the perfect pathway for you can often be tricky. To take the guesswork out of your application process, go to Canadianvisa.org to speak to a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) who can ensure you’re using the best Canadian immigration pathways for Irish citizens and that you have the best chance of making your move to Canada.
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